10 Types Of Stories Screenwriters Love To Write

Human anthropological and sociological evolution has developed over the past 50000 years. Storytellers have evolved from re-enactment, to speech, to the written word, to audio-visual expressions of ideas. Screenwriting has also kept up.

Here are some terms to help you better understand the types of stories found in screenplays:

1) MYTHOLOGY

Can loosely be defined as ancient stories to explore the human experience and to explain the physical universe. They help steer our moral and social compasses and are a blueprint for better and authentic living. They explore our origins, ancestors, fathers, mothers and gods. Where did we come from and what is our purpose for existing today? They often include gods and monsters to illustrate their point.

2) FOLKLORE

Back in the mid 19th century, the term folklore was introduced to describe how antiquities related to people’s daily lives. Folklore consists of song, music, dance, artifacts, proverbs rituals, oral stories and various traditions. Unlike myths, folklore is generally unwritten. Rather than being moralistic, folklore is more designed to enhance social connectivity and bind societies with common goals and interests. It expresses personal and cultural identity and a way of life, based on a common past.

3) FABLES

Are often verbally passed down from generation to generation and are generally targeted toward children. They are fantastical in nature and feature personified inanimate objects, talking animals, plants, and other natural forces such as the wind and rain. Fables tend to be cautionary stories.

4) TALES

Also also tend to be targeted towards children and include folk and fairy tales. They reside in the land of make believe and are often cautionary in nature. Tall tales are deliberately an exaggeration of the truth and rely on the suspension of disbelief to make them enjoyable and entertaining. Old wives tales are urban myths or falsehoods such as a haunted house.

5) LEGENDS

Usually refer to a made up or embellished heroes which has impacted a local community. They include ghosts, monsters and superheroes. A legend depicts the action of a particular person. An urban legend is a believable fabrication from the recent past. They are often verbally passed on along generations and give a sense of protection, importance and love.

6) PARABLES

These are fictitious simple short stories illustrating a moral or religious issue. They are educational and spiritual in nature.

7) EUHEMERISM

These are repeated distortions of historical accounts that are eventually assumed to be true. They have been rationalized to minimize their apocryphal nature. They are reminiscent of re-enactments.

8) EMBELLISHMENTS

These stories range from mild to gross exaggerations of either people or things that threaten them. They highlight that man is a force to be reckoned with often through an exaggerated threat or danger.

9) ALLEGORIES

These are stories that have a strong underlying meaning over and above the literal. Some believe that allegorical stories were the precursors of myths which have a more literal (albeit untrue) meaning. They contain potent symbolism and rhetoric to convey their messages of life and the greater universe.

10) METAPHORS

They include figures of speech and turns of phrase to depict something other than the literal. They are also used to understand one concept in terms of another. “They broke my heart” is a common metaphor.